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“Daffodils that come before the swallow dares and take the winds of March with beauty. Violets dim, but sweeter than the kids of Juno’s eye. ” Shakespeare described a natural pair of spring woodland companion plants in A Winter’s Tale. He goes on to mention primrose, oxlips, and lilies, plants which grow naturally as daffodil companion plants. Artists and poets have been inspired by natural groups of flowers that bloom in a row or in a way that goes well with each other for hundreds of years. Companion planting allows even a small flower patch to be inspiring.
What to Plant with Daffodils for a Stunning Spring Display
Daffodils are iconic harbingers of spring, lighting up gardens and landscapes with their cheerful yellow blooms. But did you know that combining daffodils with other plants can take your garden to the next level?
The right companion plants can complement daffodils beautifully, creating eye-catching color combinations, interesting textures, and prolonged seasonal interest By thoughtfully choosing plants to pair with your daffodils, you can create a showstopping display that looks fantastic all season long
In this article, we’ll explore some of the best options for what to plant with daffodils. Whether you want to highlight their golden hues, create captivating contrasts, or find plants that flower in tandem, you’ll find plenty of delightful pairings ahead. Let’s dive in!
Go for Complementary Flower Colors
One easy way to make your daffodils pop is to plant flowers in complementary colors nearby. The classic color combination of yellow and purple looks striking with daffodils. Vibrant purple tulips, pansies, hyacinths, or alliums create an eye-catching spring display.
Pastel purple violas, lavender, or catmint also pair beautifully with daffodils Their soft hues contrast with daffodil trumpets without competing for attention. White flowers like dogwood trees, calla lilies, and daisies make daffodil yellow appear brighter and more vibrant.
Focus on Flowering PerennialsPairing daffodils with perennials that bloom at the same time extends your flowering display, Some great options include
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Iris – The sword-like foliage complements daffodil leaves. Purple, blue, and white iris flowers bloom alongside daffodils depending on the variety.
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Peonies – The lush, full blooms provide big impact. Look for early blooming varieties to coincide with daffodils.
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Columbine – Delicate, nodding blooms come in yellow, pink, red, white, and purple. Columbines pair beautifully with daffodils.
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Daylilies – These summer bloomers have similar grassy foliage. Early blooming varieties like Apricot Sparkles or Hyperion work well.
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Salvia – Spiky blooms in red, purple, pink, white, or blue pop against daffodils’ trumpet shapes.
Mix in Flowering Shrubs & Trees
Flowering woody plants lend early season color and visual interest. Plant them behind daffodils so their blooms peek over the tops of daffodil foliage. Good choices include:
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Forsythia – Abundant yellow blooms coordinate well with daffodils.
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Lilacs – Fragrant purple, pink, or white blooms complement daffodils elegantly.
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Flowering cherry trees – The iconic pink or white blooms appear as daffodils fade.
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Dogwood trees – Yellow, pink, or red flowers paired with daffodils is picturesque. Plant small varieties to avoid overwhelming daffodils.
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Azaleas & rhododendrons – These shade-loving shrubs offer spring blooms in white, pink, purple, orange, red and yellow.
Add Interesting Foliage
Some plants make excellent daffodil companions thanks to their eye-catching foliage. They add texture, color and visual interest before and after the main spring flowering display. Good options include:
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Ferns – Lacy fronds contrast nicely with daffodil foliage. Varieties like ostrich fern or lady fern work well.
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Hostas – Emerging blue-green, green, yellow, or variegated leaves help disguise fading daffodil foliage.
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Ornamental grasses – Their slender leaves move gracefully in the breeze. Try blue oat grass or golden hakonechloa.
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Lamb’s ear – The soft, silver foliage looks beautiful with daffodils.
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Lungwort – The spotted leaves add a whimsical feel. Bonus – it also blooms in spring!
Consider Hardscape Pairings
Combine daffodils with hardscaping like fences, arbors, pathways and benches to make them a focal point. The possibilities are endless!
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Plant drifts of daffodils around a white picket fence or arbor for a cheerful spring welcome.
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Line a brick path or stone walkway with daffodils to guide visitors to your front door.
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Cluster potted daffodils on an outdoor table or around a bench to create a relaxing vignette.
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Display daffodils in planters on front porch or patio steps.
Mix and Match for a Longer Blooming Display
One of the simplest ways to extend your daffodil season is to plant early, mid and late season blooming varieties together.
Early bloomers like February Gold and Tete-a-Tete start the show in late winter. Mid season varieties including Ice Follies and Carlton bloom in early to mid spring. Late bloomers like Pink Charm and Geranium finish the display with blooms into early summer.
You can also plant different types of bulbs with your daffodils to create waves of continuous bloom:
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Crocuses and snowdrops precede daffodils, blooming when there’s still snow on the ground in late winter and early spring.
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Grape hyacinths (muscari) and squills bloom just before daffodils open in early spring.
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Dutch iris, alliums and camassia overlap with early daffodil varieties in mid to late spring.
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Lilies and Asiatic hybrids extend the bulbs display into summer after daffodils have faded.
With so many options for fantastic daffodil companions, it’s easy to create captivating combinations. Use these plant pairings to highlight the best features of your daffodils all season long. Soon your garden will be bursting with color, fragrances and textures for a showstopping spring display.
Companion Planting with Daffodils
Planting different plants close to each other to make them look better, grow faster, taste better, or keep pests away is called companion planting. Companion planting is also used to maximize space in the garden. Daffodils are great companion plants because they add warm, sunny color in the spring, are easy to tuck into bed with other plants, and keep pests away. Daffodils bloom when many flowering shrubs and perennials are just waking from their winter dormancy. Their bulbs also have a poison in them that only certain insects can eat. This poison keeps deer, rabbits, and other rodents away. Squirrels may dig them up, but they dont eat them. In early spring, daffodils bloom for about six weeks. After that, their flowers die back, leaving behind green grassy leaves that the bulb uses to get ready for a long dormancy and new growth next year. Daffodil foliage should only be cut back once it turns yellow and withers. It can look bad when daffodil leaves turn yellow spots, but good plants that grow with daffodils will fill in and hide the mess. Daffodils are a great plant to grow with flowers that bloom later or that garden pests love because they add color early in the spring and keep pests away.
What to Plant with Daffodils
You should plant other spring-flowering plants next to daffodils that have colors that go well with their yellow flowers. As Shakespeare said, the contrast between the grassy green leaves and bright yellow flowers of daffodils and the dark green leaves and small, deep purple flowers of violets makes for a beautiful early spring landscape. Other bulbs that bloom beautifully next to daffodils include:
The following also make excellent spring blooming daffodil companion plants:
For continuous yellow color patches in the garden use:
Other later season blooming companion plants for daffodils include:
When companion planting with daffodils for season long color, plant daffodils about 3-6 inches (8-15 cm. ) from later blooming plants. In early spring, the daffodils will add color while the later-blooming plants are just leafing out and budding. In late spring, the later-blooming plants will cover up the dying back daffodils and take their attention away from them.
Planting Daffodils: 5 Simple, Easy Tips for Success
FAQ
What plants go well with daffodils?
Can you plant perennials over daffodils?
How many daffodil bulbs should you plant in one hole?
Where should you not plant daffodils?
Should you plant daffodil bulbs?
Planting daffodil bulbs is one of the best jobs you can do in your garden. This is because, when you plant daffodil bulbs, you know that you are doing something that will bring you everyone that sees your garden, a great deal of joy in spring – and for years to come.
How do you grow daffodils in spring?
Provide a light feeding of bulb fertilizer in early spring. Ensure the soil never becomes waterlogged since it can cause the bulbs to rot. Allow the leaves to stay in the ground until they turn brown. Daffodils (Narcissus spp.) are easy-to-grow bulbs that symbolize spring. Learn how to grow them in the garden and in containers.
How do you grow daffodil bulbs?
Arrange the daffodil bulbs on the soil surface. Once you have positioned the bulbs, add more compost around them but leave the bulb tops showing above the compost. Water each container thoroughly. If you bought pre-chilled bulbs you can skip the next step but otherwise daffodils need a cold environment for 8-10 weeks.